Somewhere between the kitchen table and the rehearsal room - sit with me a while, there is space for you.
KATINES - A Space for Movement, Research, Discussions, and Care
'What if this dance is about emancipation?' Photo : Maria Cheilopoulou
'What if this dance is about emancipation?' Photo : Maria Cheilopoulou
KATINES – A Space to gather, is not a fixed group but an open space, shaped by those who take part in it.
It brings together women (mostly, but not only, Greek-speaking) in Zurich through movement, dialogue, and a shared ethos of care.
The space was initiated by Eleni Mylona and continues as an evolving, embodied practice.
It remains open to all who resonate with its spirit of resistance, co-creation, and mutual support.
KATINES was born out of a void.
A void of care, of bonds, of solidarity networks.
Out of a need to transform dominant structures into spaces of connection.
With a longing to create community grounded in the body, in embodied experience.
Katines is a small community of women and gender-expansive individuals who have been living and
working in Zurich for the past few years.
We are: Angeliki Papadia, Antonia Orfanou, Artemis Tsakiri, Daphne Kokkini, Kiki Chandra,
Eleni Mylona, Ioulitta Stavridi, Martha Gikollaj, Nasia Vlachou, Siri Walker, Fani Kanoni,
Christina Tsouma and Vasia Roussi.
What binds us in this practice is not, first and foremost, the creation of choreographic works.
It is the need for a space of meeting, of intimacy, of relating, of making — with dance as our starting point.
We share a cultural sensibility — how we create, how we speak, how we move, how we embody.
The name “Katines” carries its own history.
Katina is a Greek woman’s name, one that, over time, became charged with a negative, sexist tone:
it came to mean the “gossipy,” the “petty,” the “loud” woman — a stereotype wielded by patriarchy to ridicule
and diminish women.
That’s why many of the women doing housework in Greece, often called “maids,” were named Katina.
For this very reason, KATINA was chosen as the title of the first Greek feminist magazine — an act of reclaiming,
of reimagining the word.
We chose it in its plural and in Latin letters - KATINES - to amplify this transformation:
To shine a light on the strength, intelligence, and self-worth of women, giving this word a new, affirming meaning.
When we hear “Katines,” we want to see women who speak up and reach out with courage, women who move
and express themselves freely and fearlessly, redefining the image of their gender.
From the Choreography Lab-
8 women-
8 Research Questions -
8 Movement Practices
Sound on/off
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'Spekoulative Praktiken' Photo : Maria Cheilopoulou
'Spekoulative Praktiken' Photo : Maria Cheilopoulou
'What if this dance is about emancipation?', explores the notion of emancipation from all potential vantage points that the KATINES group members could think of/ imagine/remember/dream of. Dancers pick a dance that feels very dear to their bodies, and dance it while listening to their favourite song. Nine WOMEN, dance nine different DANCES, TOGETHER on stage. One playlist is suggested to the audience!
In this work, nine women from diverse professional backgrounds and personal journeys come together in a 'common language'. Each woman dances her own personal dance, inviting the audience to witness the contradictions of freedom and empowerment in an embodied way as part of the community. What does liberation look like? What does it mean to search for freedom through the body in a world defined by power structures? How can we find freedom in the bodies we inhabit? With influences from hip-hop, punk, techno, ceremonial dances, carimbó, and traditional dances from the Balkans and Greece, this work uses dance as a platform for resistance, speaking to the struggles and contradictions that shape women’s experiences today on both a personal and collective level.
Credits:
Research-Choreography -Performance: Eleni Mylona with and by Angeliki Papadia, Christina Tsouma, Daphne Kokkini, Domenika Chandra, Ioulitta Stavridi, Martha Gjikolaj , Nassia Vlachou, Siria Walker, Vassia Roussi a.k.a KATINES_zürich
Dramaturgical Consultation: Rodia Vomvolou
Music: Nassia Vlachou
Photos: Maria Cheilopoulou
Video: Artemis Tsakiri
Design: Kostis Sotirakos
Costumes: KATINES_zürich
TICKETS: eventfrog.ch/KATINES
Spekulative Praktiken
(Tanzmehr FESTIVAL 2023)
The performers/movers respond to movement scores they have developed together. The intension is to reflect on how we come together, what is embodied knowledge, how our female bodies can and act as a way to resist patriarchal structures, and also how to find and expand idiosyncratic personal movement while at the same time take responsibility of our common body!
The scores are suggested verbally by the
choreographer and by the dancers when they feel like it, and the performers/movers create movement material on stage through "instant composition". The piece begins with a traditional Greek love song from 1828 from Asia Minor, and is accompanied by live music (guitar).
CREDITS
Choreography: Eleni Mylona with and by the dancers Domenika Chandra, Fani Kanoni, Daphne Kokkini, AngelikiPapadia, Vassia Roussi, Ioulitta Stavridi, Christina Tsouma, Nassia Vlachou
Live music (guitar): Pablo Allende
Live voice: Nassia Vlachou
Upcoming Events 🍓
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About Us Festival – KATINES: "What if this dance is about emancipation?"
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Date & Time: Sunday, June 29, 2025, 11:30–12:00
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Location: Münsterhof, as part of Das Transkulturelle Festival der Stadt Zürich (June 26–29, 2025)
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Choreography Lab for KATINES & Friends 💜
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Description: Eight women conduct eight different practice-based artistic research projects, engaging in peer-to-peer feedback and movement practices.
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Schedule: Every Tuesday, 19:00–21:00
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Location: Eleni's Atelier, Badenerstrasse 571
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Performance: "What if this dance is about emancipation?"
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Date: December 7, 2025
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Location: Queer Feminist House, Freiestrasse 138, 8032 Zürich
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Workshop with Androniki Marathaki
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Dates: November 16–17, 2024
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Location: Tanzhaus Zürich
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Cute Studio
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